You Can Run,But I'll Win in the End
by rainbow cupcake
Summary: Terra, Ven and Aqua have played a day trip through all the worlds, to visit old friends. But what happens when they come across an old enemy, their trio is torn apart, and Ven is hunted across the worlds til he's ready to collapse. HALLOWEENFIC. VaniVen.
1. Land of Departure

And here's my years contribution to the Halloween fanfics for Kingdom Hearts!

PROBABLY SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME, JUST WARNING YOU NOW.

I will be posting a chapter per day until Halloween, hopefully, unless there is a problem uploading on any of the days and in which case I will post however many chapters I missed to make up for it.

Pairings are TerraVen and VanitasVen.

(THIS IS GOING TO BE HIGHLY MESSED UP, JUST AS A FOREWARNING. THERE WILL BE BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AND SWEARING AND DISTURBING THEMES. PLEASE READ ON IF YOU LIKE THAT SORT OF THING 8D)

* * *

Ventus stood in front of his bedroom window, travel bag in hand, staring out into the star-filled sky. He was eagerly awaiting the trip he and his friends intended to take the next day. The only problem was he was so looking forward to it that he could barely sleep. A soft knocking sounded from the other side of his room, and he turned hurriedly. Terra smiled over at him, looking slightly tired.  
"C'mon, Ven, why aren't you asleep yet, it's nearly midnight!"  
The blonde half-skipped over to him, smiling the whole while.  
"But Terraaaaaa" he whined, pouting up at the taller keybearer. "I'm not tired! I'm too excited!"  
He reached over, threading a hand through Ventus's hair, ruffling it.  
"Just because you saved the worlds, doesn't mean you don't have an early bedtime."  
"Ennhh! Stop treating me like a kid!"  
Ven stuck his tongue out...childishly...at Terra, making the other laugh.  
"I'm not treating you like a kid, Ven, I'm treating you like my friend who is a few years younger than me and who should really get some sleep so he doesn't pass out on the ice cream machine tomorrow."  
The hand that was still twined in Ven's hair shifted slightly, drawing him forward.  
"...Terra?"  
He looked up at him uncertainly, pink dusting his cheeks. "You should really get to bed...otherwise I might keep you up..."  
Terra bent down, sliding his hand down to rest at the base of Ven's neck, the other settling on the smaller's shoulder. The blonde's eyes slid closed and he moved his hands forward to rest on Terra's chest, feeling his heart pulse steadily under his nightshirt.  
Terra's tongue slid softly over Ven's top lip, before moving down to press their lips toge-  
"Why are you guys still up? We have to get going really early tomorrow!"  
They broke apart, looking over at Aqua.  
Terra began to walk through the doorway, reassuring the blue-haired girl that they would indeed be going to bed soon, and hey,why was she still awake in the first place, she shouldn't be reprimanding them. As soon as she had walked off, sleepily waving goodnight to them, Terra turned back to Ven.  
"Sorry, I didn't know she'd walk th-"  
He was cut off by Ventus flinging himself forward, locking their lips together heatedly. Moments later the blonde pulled back, face scarlet. "You can keep me up...later..."  
He turned Terra towards the exit, pushing him lightly, trying to get him out of his room before he ended up begging him to stay, keeping them both up for the rest of the night.  
Ven had needs.  
Needs that he wanted to act on.  
But he also didn't want to face Aqua's wrath in the morning if they were sluggish during the travel.  
Needs were good. Having the equipment to _act_ on those needs is even better. And Aqua's rage plus his lower extremities did not equal a happy Ventus.

Half chuckling, half wincing, the blonde shuffled off towards his bed, lightly pushing his bag to the side with his foot, practically tripping onto the sheets, asleep almost as soon as his head hit fabric.

Several hours later, well on into the early hours of the morning, there was a soft creaking noise, as Ventus's door slid open. The soft light from the hallway cast a line across the blonde's face, interrupted briefly by a figure passing front of it, feet padding lightly across the carpet. The figure stopped at Ven's bedside, bending down til he was kneeling beside him. Gloved fingers trailed over his lips, down to his throat, making the young keybearer's breath hitch in his sleep, the digits trailer farther, sliding some of the buttons open on his nightshirt, exposing more of his skin. The other waved a hand over the sleeping boy's face, blackish purple waves washing over him, making him settle into a deeper sleep, ensuring that he wouldn't wake up until later that morning.  
He bent down, breath fanning across Ventus's exposed skin, before moving to bite into the flesh, drawing blood, making sure to leave a mark, blood smeared across the collar of his shirt where it was buttoned back up after.  
Pulling back and walking a few steps backwards, crossing the room, darkness swirled up, encasing the intruder. When the darkness was gone, so was the boy.

The next day arrived quickly, the sunlight shining through Ventus's window, drenching the boy in golden beams. He squirmed, trying to move away from the intrusive light.  
Aqua knocked lightly on his door, waiting for him to wake up.  
Ven sat up blearily, his normal wave of spikes an atrocious mess, sticking up in almost the complete opposite direction. "Uuhh?"  
She giggled softly, staring over at him.  
"C'mon, Ven, it's time to get up. We're heading out now."  
Aqua turned, about to leave the room, when she paused, staring at the mark on the blonde's collar as he stretched, the fabric slipping.  
"Ven...what's that?"  
"Hm? What's what, Aqua?"  
"That mark on your collarbone. I'm sure you didn't have that last night. Did you stay up late with Terra?"  
His face flushed a brilliant red and he shook it rapidly.  
"N-no!"  
Brushing his fingers over the mark he hissed, and fumbled for the mirror that lay partially under his bed, holding it up.  
He unbuttoned his pajama shirt so that it hung open, and examined the mark in the mirror, eyebrows furrowed. "I...really have no idea where that came from, Aqua."  
Ven stared over at her, slight fear in his eyes. She walked across the room to him, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet, giving the scared blonde a tight hug, and guiding him over to his closet. "C'mon, get dressed. Terra and I will be waiting out in front."  
Giving him another hug, and a brief smile, Aqua left the room, stopping to grab her bag from the hallway floor, and slinging it over her shoulder. Ven nodded, even though she had already left, and set about getting ready to leave, making sure he had everything in his bag, that he had the pass to Disneytown tucked safely in an inside pocket, and that he was infact actually wearing pants. Aqua wouldn't let him out of his room last time he tried to wander around in his boxers, and shoved a pair of pants at him, barring the door until he agreed to put on the garment.  
A smile spreading across his face at the thought of what was to come that day, he briskly walked down the hallway, bag over his shoulder like Aqua's had been, and pushed through the front doors, stepping out towards his friends.  
He paused momentarily, staring at them.  
Aqua appeared to be deep in conversation with Terra, and both of them looked slightly worried. Terra glanced in the direction Ven was walking from, turned back to the conversation, and then jumped, looking back towards the blonde again, a slightly apologetic look on his face. "Heey, Ven."  
He waved over at him, gesturing him to come closer. "What were you guys talking about...?"  
Terra looked back at Aqua and she sent him a 'no. he doesn't need to know' sort of look. "We were wondering what order we should go to the worlds in, and were worrying that we wouldn't be able to get to some of the good ones before it got too late."  
Ven stared at him for a few moments, before smiling.  
"Okay! Well, are you guys ready to go?"  
Aqua nodded over from where she had moved to prepare for boarding her keyblade scooter, bag firmly attached to a harness on her back. The other two walked over to their own places, Terra pulling Ven's hand so that he would walk closer to him, and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.  
"You'll be fine." he murmured against the blonde's skin, kissing it again.  
Ven smiled, his cheeks pink, and stood slightly away, preparing to hit his activation button.  
The three of them smacked theirs simultaneously, with varying degrees of force (though it didn't really matter how hard they hit them), and shot off into the world gap, fully armored, and zipping along on their scooters.

* * *

Chapter one done, chapter two shall be posted tomorrow!

This fic shall be set in each of the different worlds in Birth By Sleep, so if you have any suggestions for the next chapters, I'd be more than happy to hear them ^^

Reviews keep my writers block away 8D

87056851-3164-483a-b833-8b315a3162ee

1.03.01


	2. Disneytown

CHAPTER 2!

Things get a bit creepier in this chapter. But trust me, this is tame compared to what's to come.

* * *

The three of them touched down in the middle of Disneytown, and were immediately surrounded by the inhabitants, all of them dressed up in various costumes, trying to tug them over to the area of town where the Fruit Ball games were usually set up.  
After calming down the hyped up residents, the trio set off in the direction they were pointed, and gasped in amazement as they turned the corner, seeing the enormous structure that had been set up in the playing arena.  
"We heard about a holiday called 'Halloween', from this Skellington fellow that passed through here not too long ago, and decided to give it a try on our own!, exclaimed one of the duckling triplets from behind them, the three of them pushing Terra, Ven and Aqua forward so that they were at the entrance to the towering, mansion-like building. They stepped into it, waving back at the others, grinning. The first room was pretty tame, just some ghostly projections onto the wall, which made all of them laugh. Trust the occupants of Disneytown to not be able to do anything too scary.  
As the walked farther through the haunted house, the rooms got darker, quieter and colder, and Ven nestled himself into Terra's side, staring around at the walls that had started to ooze odd colored slime.  
A sudden cold burst of air swept along the hallway, making him squeak from the unexpected gust, jumping slightly.  
Terra pretended to have a bad coughing fit to cover up how hard he had started laughing, and Ven glared at him, face flushed, and hit him lightly on the chest.  
"Stop laughing, that just startled me..."  
He was pulled closer, Terra's hand rubbing over his back.  
"I'm sorry, it's just so cute when you get all jumpy like that. I couldn't help but laugh."  
Aqua looked back at them just then and looked forward again, smiling and shaking her head. "Hurry up, you guys, if we spend too much time in here, we won't get to the other worlds in time."  
When she turned around, Ven stuck his tongue out at her, giggling slightly.  
They walked farther on, and Terra slipped his hand into Ven's, squeezing, reassuring him so that he wouldn't get creeped out by anything else.  
There was the sound of at least a hundred lightbulbs shattering simultaniously, plunging the room into darkness, and Ven screamed, the shock causing him to trip over a small gap in the floorboards, letting go of Terra's hand and falling to the ground. When he sat up again, everything was deathly quiet, and the room was getting colder and colder, making him shiver. He tried to stand up, grasping onto the nearest wall, pulling himself to his feet, but jolted away immediately as he felt liquid drip over his fingers, the scent of iron filling the air, and he tried to scream, but couldn't get enough air into his lungs to even do that. A strange laugh echoed around him, filling the room, digging in to his brain, making him fall to the floor, writhing and clutching his head.  
"goawaygoawaygoaway..."  
A hand grabbed on to the back of his shirt and pulled him upright, the same voice that had been laughing all around him suddenly drifted into his ear.  
"Pathetic..."  
Ventus was forcefully shoved up against the wall, grunting in pain, his face smacking into the plaster.  
He tried to struggle away, smelling the iron scent again, realizing just how close to his face it was. As the person behind him held him in place, the liquid slid down the wallpaper more and across his skin, getting into his mouth before he thought to close it, and he started to choke, trying to spit it out.  
There was _blood_ in his mouth. Sliding across his face. Clumping in his hair.  
He shot an elbow back at his assulter but it was caught easily, and he was pulled back, falling against the...boy's...chest, arms holding him in place, and a mouth nipping at the top of his ear.  
"You're such a little scaredy-cat, Ventus. I rather like that..."  
A hand drifted up his shirt, warm in contrast to the cold room, making him shiver violently.  
He felt the other drop down behind him, tugging his shirt up in the back and pressing a deceptively sweet kiss to his side, trailing them forward and down, sliding around to his front, slipping a hand to his pant's button, flicking it open, making Ven shudder at how slow he was going.  
He slid up the front of Ven's body, mouthing along the fabric of his shirt, and when he got to the underside of the blonde's chin, he licked slowly from under it to over the other's lip, leaving a wet trail.  
Ven squirmed, breathing heavily, trying to push the boy away, but was stopped by warm lips crushing up against his, making him whimper without intending to, responding out of instinct.  
And all of a sudden, all contact was gone, he was left alone again, and the lights flickered back on, seemingly repaired.  
Ven **_bolted_** out of the room, tears involuntarily streaming down his face, running as fast and hard as he could, half-tripping over the doorstop on the way out.  
Terra swung an arm out, catching Ven before he fell on his face, holding the struggling blonde to his chest, rubbing a strong hand over his back as he cried, fingers digging into Terra's shirt fabric.  
When they broke apart, Terra held onto Ven's shoulders, looking him over.  
"Why are your clothes all rumpled?"  
Ven shook his head.  
"I don't want to talk about it Terra...please..."  
He brushed a finger through his hair, sliding it down his face, pulling it away again after to look at it. He started, staring at his /clean/ fingers.  
'Where...where did the blood go?'  
Terra stared down at him, worriedly.  
"Ven...are you okay?"  
The blonde brushed past him, nodding slowly.  
"Yeah...yeah...I'm fine...let's go wait for Aqua."  
Terra tried to grab his hand, but Ven smacked it away, eyes focused on the ground, face hardened.

They waited for her for at least half an hour, but she never walked through the exit doors.  
The taller keybearer finally spoke up, breaking the silence.  
"Maybe she went on without us...we were planning on going to see Cinderella next..."  
Ven slammed his hand into his activator, the armor encasing him.  
"Let's go."  
He flew off on his keyblade, not looking back at his friend. Terra stared as he flew away, a worried look on his face.  
"What happened to you in there, Ven..."

* * *

Review please, it helps me want to write more X3

And yes. This will continue getting more and more twisted.

Ready for the ride?

87056851-3164-483a-b833-8b315a3162ee

1.03.01


	3. Castle of Dreams

This chapter is pretty tame in comparison to the last one. But I can assure you, it won't stay that way for long.

* * *

When they got to the next world, it became painfully clear that Aqua was in fact, not there.  
Terra managed to get Ven to follow him into the castle, and they were greated at the door by the now princess that resided there. Since the small blonde was not quite ready to talk to anyone yet, Terra apologized for him, and asked if Cinderella had seen their friend.  
She shook her head sadly, and asked if they would like to stay for a while anyways, as there was to be another ball held that night.  
Terra looked at Ven, a questioning look in his eyes.  
He was gazed back at with tired eyes, but Ven smiled softly.  
"Alright."  
The brunette smiled down at him, and reached for his hand, squeezing it.

After about an hour of getting primped and prepped, Terra and Ven stepped out from either side of the changing screens, in occasion-appropriate wear...for Terra at least.  
Ven stared over at the taller boy with a look that screamed 'heeellllpppp'.  
Cinderella wandered into the room, her hair tied on top of her head in the neat bun it was in the last time she attended an event like this.  
"Are the two of you ready?" She smiled at them, waiting for a response.  
Terra nodded, but Ven shuffled over to her, looking disgruntled.  
"Why do I have to wear a _dress_?"  
The princess just leaned forward, patting him on the head.  
"Because every prince needs his princess."  
"But I'm not a gi-!"  
Cinderella bent down, so that she was eye level with him.  
"I know how to use a broom in the worst ways possible. You're wearing that dress."  
And with that, she stood up again, smiling, and swept out of the room.  
Ven stared after her with wide eyes.  
"Terra...princesses are scary creatures..."  
The brunette could only nod in agreement.

They met her out in the hallway, Ven hiding slightly behind Terra, now a bit scared by the blonde princess that drifted across the floor in front of them.  
She guided them to the entrance of the ballroom, directing them on the proper way to enter, Ven holding on to Terra's arm, both of them with heads held high. Three of the servants came toward them, each holding a cushion with an elaborately detailed mask on it. They sank to their knees, holding them out to their princess, who took them individually and handed one to Terra and one to Ven.  
They stared down at them in confusion and then looked back up at her.  
"It's a masquerade ball" she said, smiling. "I picked the two masks I thought would suit the two of you best."  
Ven slipped the gold-detailed mask on, tracing the smooth whiteness of the rest of it with his fingers, feeling the emeralds that dotted under the left eye. He turned to look at Terra and saw that he was wearing a similar one, but in colors that suited him, muted reds and greys, a soft dusting of light brown across it. Cinderella slipped on her own, a delicate blue with a dark blue wash sweeping diagonally across it, diamond-like sparkles mixed in. Her prince stepped up beside her, offering his arm for her to take, and Terra copied the gesture, Ven sliding his arm around the brunette's and smiling up at him, his eyes shining.  
The door was opened for both couples and they stepped into the room, the warmth and happiness from the crowded room and the upbeat music flowing over them. Terra lead Ven off to near the middle of the ballroom, and they stood in front of each other slightly awkwardly, for a few moments.  
"Uh...Ter...I don't really know how to dance like this..."  
Ven's hands were taken and arranged so they rested on the right spots, Terra holding on to him in the customary dance position.  
"Just follow my lead."  
The orchestra in the corner struck up another song, slower this time, and Terra drew Ven in closer.  
They swayed together, each holding gently to the other, soft smiles on both their faces.  
"Ven...are you doing okay? From earlier, I mean."  
At that, the blonde's gaze hardened, and he pushed away from the taller keybearer. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a light cough from beside them.  
A boy stood there in formal garb, just like them, his black hair slightly mussed, and the top half of his face obscured with a black and blood-red mask.  
"Mind if I cut in?"  
He held a hand out to Ventus, and a smirk crossed his face for just a fraction of a second as the blonde slid his own hand into the other's.  
The black-haired boy turned to Terra.  
"I'll have him back to you after this dance."  
Terra glared over at Ven.  
"Don't bother. I'm going to step outside for a bit. I think some fresh air would do me some good."  
Ven moved over to the boy that was closer to his height, allowing himself to be pulled into the other's arms.  
Terra turned on his heel and stormed out of the ballroom, his teeth and fists clenched.  
Ven was lead off to a more secluded area of the room, and pulled flush against the other. He stumbled slightly as he was pulled, and stared up at the other, hands on his chest. Golden eyes bored into him, holding his gaze, making him shiver. It was like they could see straight into his soul, and that made the blonde shiver uneasily.  
"Come on, princess, let's dance."  
Ven pouted slightly.  
"I'm not a princess."  
A hand slid up his side, running along the satin of the dress bodice.  
"You're a princess to me."  
And right then the music started up again, building to a crescendo, and Ven found himself twirling around the room, his dress flaring out spectacularly. And the music went faster and faster and the blonde started to get dizzy, clutching onto the other's shoulders.  
And then.  
In a moment.  
It was over.  
He tipped backwards, and lay there, panting heavily, staring up at the ceiling, which was obscured almost immediately by his mysterious dance partner.  
The other boy leaned down, pulling Ven slightly out of the dip, and pressed their lips together.  
As Ven slid his eyes closed instinctively, Vanitas dissolved his mask, golden eyes blazing, and he mentally summoned the Unversed, directing them out beyond the castle.

Terra sat on a log near the edge of the woods, hunched over, running his hands through his hair.  
_Things were going just fine...why did I have to go and screw it up like that..._  
He looked up, staring in the direction of the castle's towers.  
_Ven...I'm so sorry..._  
Terra stood up, sighing, and made as if to head back, but stopped, hearing something whooshing towards him. A swarm of Unversed rushed him, and he tried to run, succeeding in getting pretty far before they swarmed on top of him, disappearing who knows where with him, leaving behind only a lingering scream.

Back at the ball, Ven shot to his feet, having heard the faint scream in the distance, and he ran for the doors, bursting outside, calling Terra's name. He ran and ran, finally stopping in the spot where there looked to have been a struggle. Ven crawled around on his hands and knees, trying to find something, _anything_, that would tell him where Terra went. Something glinted at him from the base of one of the bushes and he moved closer to it.  
He closed his fingers around it and pulled it out, but didn't want to look, already knowing what it would be.  
_Terra's wayfinder..._

Ven sat back, biting his lip.  
"Ter..."  
He stood up, looking around frantically.  
"TERRA! COME BACK! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!"  
his yell echoed through the trees, letting him know he really was the only one there. Ven sighed heavily, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes, threatening to spill out.

He trudged back to the castle, dress tearing on some of the bushes along the way, but it didn't matter.  
All Ven wanted to do was get there, get changed, and leave.

The guards let him back in, choosing to stay silent about his disheveled appearance, and he slowly brushed across the dance floor, head down, avoiding everyone's gaze, finally reaching the bottom of the staircase.  
He slid his hand along the banister, intent on just going up and getting out.

An almost magnetic pull tugged on him, and he looked around, reluctantly.  
His gaze met with the person he'd been dancing with earlier, and he blinked in confusion.  
The mask the boy was wearing seemed both transparent and fully formed at the exact same time. But that face. The face under the mask.  
No...  
It couldn't be...  
It COULDN'T be.

Golden eyes narrowed, accompanying a smirk, as though able to fully tell how confused Ventus was.

'Go'  
He mouthed up at him.

And Ven bolted up the stairs, almost falling flat on his face several times, trying to escape the deep feeling of dread that coursed through him.

When he had changed and was flying, hellbent on getting to the next world as quick as he could, that was when he finally let his tears of confusion and sadness and rage and loneliness pour from him. He wanted Terra and Aqua back.  
And he would do whatever it would take.

* * *

Poor,poor confused Ven-Ven.

And oh geez. Need to actually think now, 'cause I haven't planned the next chapters out very much and I write them the day I post them XD

PLEASE REVIEW, IT MAKES ME A HAPPY AUTHOR 8D

(And I'm open to suggestions)

((Except for Destiny Islands, that place is fully written))


	4. Dwarf Woodlands

FFFFFUUUU. YOU GUYS. YOU ARE GOING TO BE THE DEATH OF ME.

It's 5 am.  
I have a horrible cold.  
I haven't slept because I was up writing this blasted chapter (sorry it wasn't up sooner, I was REALLY braindead).  
and I'm probably going to be dead tired tomorrow.

.Thankyou.

Anyway, after that.

This chapter includes Vanitas (yes, he deserves a warning), some swearing (minor), general mindfeckery and slight blood/abuse. Yay!

Now I must sleep for two hours until my bus comes. -dies-

ENJOY!

* * *

Ven sat inside the mining caves, long after the dwarves had cleared out for the night.  
At first they had wanted to stay with him, making sure that he was okay, but the seven of them were unable to get any reaction from him, as he was unwilling to talk at all.  
They left behind a lantern so that he was not alone in the dark, and then headed out.

He stared up at the top of the mine, resting his head back against the hard stone, eyes dancing over the crystals glinting above him that the short-statured men could not reach. Why...  
Why why why...  
Why was all of this happening to him. Why had Terra and Aqua both been taken from him.

As he sat there and sat and sat, the coldness of the mine was starting to get to him, and his eyes started to blink closed, a wave of tiredness sweeping over him, and he yawned widely without meaning to.  
The last things he saw was the flicker of something swooping past him, out to the exit of the cave. And then nothing.

When he next awoke, the air had gotten definitely colder, and he stood up stiffly, wondering how much time had passed since he'd fallen asleep. He stumbled out towards the exit, arms wrapped around himself, and had to pause for a few moments once he'd stepped out.

About an hour had passed, from what he'd been able to tell, but the sky was much darker.  
Thick, dark-grey, almost black clouds swirled across the sky, and he glanced up at it, flinching when a droplet almost hit him in the eye. _  
Rain..._  
It almost never rained where he came from. Ven held out a hand, letting a few more drops fall onto his palm.  
_Oh well...it was just a little rain..._  
He had to move forward, he couldn't let insignificant things like the weather hold him back.

The dwarves were all heading into their little house as Ventus strode through the small clearing in the front, eyes fixed forward, not quite sure where he was heading. He just needed to keep going forward. Going forward and not looking back. Some of them turned to look at him, but the rain was starting to get heavier, so they just turned, assuming he knew where he was going and that he would be fine. Ven crossed the small footbridge across the stream, and kept running until he was deep into the woods, surrounded by darkened trees, the rain not quite going through them, so the rain was relatively dry.  
He could stay there if he wished, to try and figure out just what the hell was happening to him, but no.  
No.  
He had to keep going.

The blonde leaned back against one of the trees, catching his breath, shaking his head to expell some of the rain droplets from it, and resting his head against the bark.  
It was darker in here than beyond the tree-line, but that was somehow more peaceful.  
The sound of rain was very faint here, and the smell of dirt and trees crept into his mind, flooding it with the odd scent.

He was suddenly jolted out of his half-sleep that he had slipped into when the tree's branches creaked, the entire tree shifting under him. Ven tried to spring away, his heart racing, but one of the roots ripped through the earth he'd been focusing so intently on earlier and wrapped around his ankle, sending him tumbling to the ground.  
He let out a loud scream that was punctured by him smacking into the not-yet rain-soaked dirt, knocking all the air out of his lungs, making him break into a coughing fit.  
The root pulled him up again, using an unpredictable strength and nearly flinging him into the air, keeping an almost too tight grip on his ankle, shaking him around like a ragdoll, before half-throwing him back to the ground, making him skid across the dirt, rocks scraping against his exposed skin.  
Ven somersaulted out of the way before anything else could grab him again, and ran for the light at the edge of the forest, where he could see the rain starting to fall harder.

He burst out of the woods, slipping slightly on the rain-slicked ground, but managing to keep his footing. Ventus stood there for a few moments, panting, before walking forward a bit, re-crossing the footbridge, and towards the tree-stump that had an axe lodged in it.

Finally something that wouldn't attack him on contact.

Assumptions are great until they come back to bite you in the ass.

As he was running a hand over the handle of the axe, marveling at how good the crafting on it was, something struck him /hard/ in the back of the knees, causing him to topple forward onto the stump, smacking into it, and almost cutting himself on the axe's blade.

The snarky little laugh he had heard earlier in the haunted house echoed around him again and he froze, not daring to look back at who it was.  
He _knew_ that laugh.  
And he had been an absolute _idiot_ for not realizing it earlier.  
"Vanitas."  
It wasn't a question.

"Gooood boy, Ven~. Finally figured out it was me? I would have thought it was obvious, earlier. When we _danced_. You seemed all too eager. Did your little boytoy make you upset? I heard what he said."

Ven rolled over so that he was sitting against the stump.

"Vanitas, I am in no mood to deal with your shit right now, okay? I just want to find my friends."

A chuckle.

"And who's to say I don't know where your friends are, Venven?"

Ven froze, staring up at his other half, watching horror-struck as he melted his mask away, revealing his face and making his hair spring free.

"Give them back. Now."

"But where's the fun in that? You'll have to work for it. I don't like returning my playtoys to just anyone, you know."

"What did you do to them?"

"Ohhh..."

The black-haired boy slammed his metal-soled boot down onto the stump, and used the momentum to pull the axe free with little strain.  
He hefted it in his hand, staring down at the way the rain struck the blade and slid off, only to be replaced by more and more drops as the rain kept falling faster.

"It's not a keyblade...but I guess it'll do for now."

"Do for wha-"

Ven was cut short as Vanitas brought the axe down forcefully next to his head, slicing off a few strands of his hair. Tears involuntarily flowed into his eyes, and he began to shake, causing the tears to cascade down his face.

Vanitas leaned forward, taking advantage of how shell-shocked the blonde was, and biting onto his lower lip, digging his teeth in, shifting them so they wore away at the skin.  
A tiny droplet of blood slid down Ventus's chin, and his breath hitched, the sudden pain from teeth puncturing his lip not one he'd ever expected to feel, and was unsure wether to scream, cry or faint.

As his enemy pulled away, still holding the axe, his mind was still working furiously between the three options.

Vanitas looked up at the sky, where rain was coming down in droves, splashing all over his hair and face, and threw open his arms, laughing up to the heavens, mocking every single creature that resided in all the worlds. He glanced down at Ventus, not lowering his head.

He hoisted the axe high in the air, a manic grin sliding across his face.

And right before he brought the blade down, a bolt of lightning shot across the sky, casting an eerie light over the whole area.

The axe fell, along with Vanitas's whispered command of '**_scream_**'.

And that was what Ven proceded to do, before passing out completely, his voice echoing all around the clearing, Vanitas shivering at the volume and despair that radiated from the blonde.

When he was unconscious, Vanitas waved his hand in the direction of the cabin, removing the barrier from around it so that the inhabitants could all hear their surroundings (not that it mattered, they were all asleep anyways), and bent down, scooping Ventus up into his arms, and flying off with him to the Mirage Arena, setting him down in the main area when they arrived.

He stood straight again, and walked off to find a place where he could observe the blonde from.

_Now...to wait...  
_

_

* * *

_

Tried to take the advice of some reviews I got suggesting that I space out my writing a bit more. Did this improve it any?

Hopefully tomorrow's chapter won't be so late. This time I've already got some ideas for what's going to happen in it. For this one I only had the ending planned out.  
I do really apologize for this one not being as on time as I would have liked!

AND TO SOUPY/XEMNAS/XEMMY/SUPERIOR.

THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH FOR HELPING YOU WITH ALL THIS. I OWE YOU MY FIRSTBORN OR SOMETHING. (BUT I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT 'CAUSE AKU MIGHT GET MAD AT ME.)  
I'LL DRAW/WRITE YOU SOME STUFF ONCE I'M FINISHED WRITING/UPLOADING THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS!

(Oh, and I'll probably be writing a LOT tomorrow night because of Sora coming to sleepover on Saturday and then Hetalia Day on Sunday. Just letting you know how much of an all-nighter you'll be pulling with me 8D. THANKYOUUU X3)


	5. Mirage Arena

I AM SO. SO. SO. SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS LATE D8

I had a sleepover with my Sora last night and therefore couldn't write anything. Will be working extra hard on the next chapters so that they're all actually on time ;A;

Enjoy(?) this (REALLY SORRY IT'S THIS) short chapter!

* * *

Ventus awoke slowly, surrounded by an ever-changing pattern of sunset colors, mixed with a constantly fading white to black, and back again.  
He tried to stand, closing his eyes against the dizzyingness of the lights, and was engulfed in a strange white glow that surrounded every particle of his being, seemingly drawing him away, piece by piece.

As he re-materialized, he squeezed his eyes open and closed a few times, rubbing at them.  
Teleporting was such an odd sensation.

Finally adjusting, Ven looked around for the first time.  
The strange room seemed empty except for himself, and made a noise of confusion.

A soft, familiar laugh started up from behind him and Ventus whipped around, staring.

"Aqua!"

He ran at the blue haired girl, burying his face in her shoulder, clutching tightly at her.

"I was so worried...I thought you had just vanished and left us behind..."

She smiled, pulling him close, brushing her hands through his hair.

"You'll be okay, Ven. Trust me."

A deeper voice suddenly spoke up next to them.

"Yeah. It'll all be okay."

Ven turned around again, tears in his eyes, praying that he hadn't been imagining his best friend's voice.

"TERRA!"

The blonde leaped from in front of Aqua, straight to Terra's arms, wrapping his arms around his neck and crying in happiness.

"You're here you're here you're here you're here!"

And completely disregarding the fact that their other friend was standing not three feet from them, he slammed his lips against the older boy's, pressing himself fully into the kiss, letting out all the hurt and suffering he'd had to endure for the past few hours.  
They stood there, wrapped in their own little world, which was only punctuated by Aqua coughing to get their attention.

"Are we going to head out now guys?"

Terra looked between the two of them.

"Actually, I was kind of wanting to spar with Ven for a bit. Haven't gotten a chance to for a while. What'dyou say?"

Ven nodded eagerly, and Aqua sighed, sitting off on the sidelines. She waited for the two of them to get into position, and then counted back from three, the final number sending them flying towards each other, keyblades drawn, the blades meeting with a loud crashing sound.

They dashed around the arena, ricocheting off of the walls, somersaulting and gliding past each other, their keyblades constantly clashing, Ven getting more and more tired. After about half an hour of solid sparring later, Ven and Terra stood shakily in front of each other, panting, a huge smile on the blonde's face.

Terra made as if to swing his keyblade up and rest it on his shoulder, and Ven began to walk away, towards Aqua, ready to sit down and rest for a while.

All of a sudden a searing, white-hot pain shot through his chest and his eyes went wide. Then something slid out of him, digging into his innards slightly, making him scream, collapsing to his knees.

A strong hand gripped his shirt front, lifting him up into the air, and as the blood drained out of him, Ven barely had enough strength to struggle against it.

He looked down at Terra, tears in his eyes.

"I love you, Ven..."  
The brunette stated simply. He set the blonde down, holding him in place so that he wouldn't fall.

A flash of gold zipped across Terra's eyes before they went back to their normal color.

"...Ter...?"

"I love how easy it is to manipulate you. I love how much you thought you trusted me. And I love how I could easily just kill you right now, and you wouldn't even fight back."

As he talked, a hand slid to Ven's throat, just resting there, the hint of what could happen if the other decided to squeeze even slightly making him shake.

"Terra...why are you doing this..."

A truly evil smirk slid onto his face and he looked down at the blonde.

"Because. I'm not really Terra."

There was a rush of darkness, swooping up around the pair of them, and when Ven looked again, he was lying on the ground in the Mirage Arena, just outside the login section, and Terra and Aqua were gone, the only trace that anyone else had been there beside him was a slight whisp of darkness that faded away.

He felt his chest where Terra's keyblade had gone through him, but the wound, if there ever had been one, was now fully healed. As he half stumbled, half crawled towards the exit spot, he rummaged through his pocket, pulling out a potion, chugging it down, feeling almost instantly revitalized.

_Keep going...keep going..._

The phrase was almost becoming a constant mantra in Ven's mind, making him continue on and on, no matter how tired, beaten or otherwise impaired he was.

He had to...

keep...

going...

* * *

I'm sorry this chapter fails so badly

(In case you couldn't tell, Vanitas hacked the computer system, creating holograms.)


	6. Enchanted Dominion

ONCE AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE CHAPTER. THIS ONE TOOK _FOREVER _TO COME UP WITH AN IDEA FOR, BUT IN THE END MY XEMNAS AND I (WHO I'M BRAINSTORMING THIS WITH AND WHO SHOULD REALLY STOP THINKING THAT HER FANFICS ARE CRAP BECAUSE THEY AREN'T.) CAME UP WITH THE PLOT, AS WELL AS THE ORDER OF THE WORLDS UNTIL THE END OF THE FIC.

Just letting you know ahead of time, I'm not kidding when I say, and pardon this rather needed language, this story is going to get royally fucked up. There will be **death**, possibly (most likely) **rape**, as well as some pretty excessive mindfuckery. You have been warned. Keep reading if you dare 8D

(all in all, this chapter's pretty tame though)

* * *

Ven appeared in the foreboding looking castle that belonged to Maleficent, and sat in a poorly lit corner, away from anyone or anything that could jump out at him.  
He shucked off his out jackets and tugged his turtleneck t-shirt over his head. His collarbone was stinging slightly and he wanted to figure out why. Working quickly, wanting to cover up again as soon as he could as he was getting chills from his surrounding and the room's temperature.

He ran a finger over the pained area, hissing when it made contact. Craning his neck, he looked as best he could, staring down at the red, raw, fabric irritated spot.

_That never healed?_

Ven wracked his brain, trying and trying to figure out just how he'd managed to acquire what looked to be a very nasty bruise.  
He thought back to that morning when it had first shown up, unexplained, the mark appearing to have caked the collar of his pajama shirt with blood, frightening Aqua.

The blonde dug in his pocket again, uncorking another potion bottle, taking a very small sip. The mark cleared up a slight bit, but Ven had to re-cap the potion and put it away, as he only had a limited amount.  
Pulling his shirts and armor back on, Ven stood up, brushing himself off, and heading off further into the dungeon-like castle interior.

His footsteps echoed around him as his shoes smacked lightly against the store floors, and the sound kept making him jump.  
_He's not here. He's not. I made sure he wasn't following me. I just need to get to Princess Aurora's palace and talk to the faeries. They'll know what to d-_  
A bolt of darkness zipped past his ear, and he slipped slightly, almost falling from the raised section he stood on.  
A small, blue creature appeared in front of Ven, and he would have cood, the small thing being outrageously adorable, but his gaze went steely.

_Unversed._

_And that means..._

He looked in the direction of where the bolt had come from.  
"Vanitas."  
The black-haired boy stepped out from behind a pillar, a smirk firmly in place.  
"Took you a while, didn't it, Ven~..."  
Blue eyes narrowed, their owner gritting his teeth.  
"Leave. Me. Alone."

And with that, Ven **_RAN_.**

He had to get out of there.  
Had to get to safety.

His feet pounded through the hallways, desperately thrashing his head around for a way out, any way out.

And there was an exit so concealed that he almost ran right past it, the corridor beckoning him from behind a tapestry of a rather bloody battle scene, many people laying on the ground surrounded by pools of their own liquids, limbs cut up or gone entirely, and a figure stood on a raised hill in the center of them, arms spread wide, back to the observer, as though mocking all of the ones that lay dead.

Ven paused for a moment, looking at it.

_That figure...could it be..._

And then the sound of a thousand unversed swooping towards him caught his ear and he dived into the hidden area, pulling the tapestry shut, leaning against the cold stone wall within, attempting to catch his breath without being too loud.

The swarm whooshed past his hiding spot, ruffling the thick cloth a bit, but keeping it relatively closed, keeping the blonde safe.  
He dropped down lower to the ground, preparing to springboard himself forward. Ven sprang from the ground, running at breakneck speed out of the dungeonous room, out into the slightly darker outdoors, not even bothering to look behind himself as he continued down the mountain path, concentrating just enough to keep himself from running off the edge, finally making it down to the bridge that connected the two lands.  
He was about ready to collapse, his heart pounding, chest heaving from lack of air, but no matter what, he couldn't stop, couldn't look back, couldn't check if he was safe.

And so he ran.

After some difficulty, he was able to get the doors to the palace entrance open, and sank to his hands and knees, coughing, his face a bright pink from how hard he'd been exerting himself. Ven tasted the slight tinge of iron in his saliva and covered his mouth with his hands, eyes wide.

_Calm down. Calm down. Breathe, Ven, breathe. If you don't breathe you're going to end up killing yourself._

His chest stopped throbbing as he sat fully on the floor, eyes closed, regaining some of his energy.

Only when he felt that he would be able to move without causing himself serious harm, did he stand. Ven swayed slightly, a hand on his forehead, but got his bearings in a few moments, standing strong again, summoning his keyblade as a precautionary gesture, beginning to head up the stairs to where the good faeries could possibly be.

"Flora? Fauna? Merryweather?"

Ventus looked around for them, guard still up in case anything jumped him from behind, continuing down the hallway.

He stopped outside the princess's room after a short walk, running his hand over the beautifully made door, before pushing it open quietly, looking into the room hesitantly and then stepping fully inside.

The blonde walked forward, pausing in front of Aurora's bed, bowing to the sleeping girl respectfully, and then turning to walk over to her massive fireplace, the fire currently unlit, as there was no need for one.

A loud slamming sound reverberated through the room, and Ven jumped, but before he was able to see who the intruder was, there was a swooshing sound from behind him as they teleported to where he was standing, shoving him violently forward into the fireplace.

Ven tumbled to a halt in the middle of the large, almost cell-like room that lay beyond the seemingly normal log stacks, laying on his front, wincing slightly at his elbows that were almost surely scraped up. Before he was able to check, however, he was tugged up by the back of his shirt and thrown against the now-closed cell door,forehead smacking against the barred window that looked into the main room.

"You can _NEVER_ run from me, Ventus."

The blonde shuddered at the voice that whispered almost directly against his ear, not sure if it was from who it was speaking or the way they ran their tongue over the shell of his ear, nipping lightly at the tip, trailing down to the top of his turtleneck, pulling it down lightly with his teeth.

"I could kill you right now, you know. Just like that. But I won't. I'll let you attempt to flee me. Makes it all that much more fun in the end."

He placed a playful kiss against Ven's cheek, giggling, sensing the way the other tensed at his touch, which only excited him further.  
He could make him want this. He could make him beg for this. But later, later. Not just yet. The toy needed a few more adjustments.

Turning the blonde around so that his back was to the door, he leaned in, pressing his lips just lightly to the others.

"I love you, Ventus."

And he faded off into nothingness, his golden eyes burning into Ven's consciousness.

Ven sank to the floor, using the door as support, raising a hand to him mouth.

"Burn in Hell, Vanitas..."

* * *

Ooo~

AND NOW FOR ALL OF YOU READING THIS FIC.

I know you have busy schedules. I am well aware of this fact, I do too.

But if you could take even a minute out of your day, after you read this chapter or any of the following , to leave a review? It helps me know what you'll all want to see in future chapters, what you don't want to see, and generally what you liked about what you've read so far.

It's a little disheartening when I get a e-mail alert on my phone, only to find out that it's only a story alert/fave. I reply to all my reviews, or at least, I try my very best, depending on how busy I am when I get them.

Do the same for me? I'll try and make the next chapters even better, just for all of you ^^

.com/xaciel/pic/000236wf/s320x240**ra**


	7. Deep Space

OH MY GOD I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG.

This chapter, not gonna lie, took FOREVER to write... I knew what I was wanting to write, but putting it down in actual writing was kinda hard because my mind was deaaaddddddd.

Well, please enjoy this chapter...I hope XD

* * *

The small blonde breathed in, letting it out heavily, trying to clear his head.  
In the silence of the room, he could hear his heart pounding rapidly.  
_It's just out of fear._

His face heated up as he thought about what the other had said before disappearing, and he hid his burning cheeks on his knees after drawing them up to his chest.

_He's just lying to you, Ventus. Snap out of it. No matter how amazing he looks and sounds, he's still tried to hurt you and your friends. If you ever need anyone for your bed, you have Terra for that. You have Terra for everything. Go, look for him._

Ven stood up, shaking his head.  
He had to put an end to this before it got too far out of hand.

Pulling the cell door open, he stepped out cautiously, preparing to fend off any attackers, but the room was, for once, actually empty, except for the long-slumbering princess.

One more call for the faeries that were supposed to be there, but no one answered.

Ven bit his lip, worrying it lightly between his teeth.

_Where could they be..._

He breathed out a sigh, and tried to stand as strong as he could, striding toward the door that lead to the outside of the castle.

Once outside, he didn't even bother to look around once more, instead just slamming his hand against the activator on his armor, summoning his keyblade glider, and flying off on it.

He portaled into the inside of the space station, looking around at how much of a wreck it had become. Burn marks and out-right holes were peppering the walls, floor, and ceiling. Unversed fluttered around where he walked, but they didn't appear to intend him any harm, so he left them alone.

His footsteps echoed around him, and he began to hum softly, just so there would be more noise than the clump clump clump that followed him.

Ven looked into the room that the teleporter was housed in, and cautiously stepped inside, walking around the pit, noticing that the walls were burned and scarred here too.

_What on earth had happened..._

Unversed rose up all around him and he summoned his keyblade, gripping it tightly, his hand shaking. They all appeared to be watching him, and he took a few cautious steps forward into the room between the transporter and the outside of the ship.

A red light shone over him, and he looked back, checking to see that none of them had advanced, before looking back at the doorway.  
He was about to press the button so that his armor would reappear, giving him air while he was outside, but one of the unversed skittered up the wall next to him before he could react, and pressed the button to open the door, another one of them slamming into him from behind, knocking him out onto the driving area.

He grunted, fumbling frantically for the button to activate his armor, but before he could reach it, he was kicked harshly in the side, sending him sliding across the ground, crashing into the wall across from him.

Ven tried to sit up, thoroughly winded, but a boot pressed into his chest, preventing him from going anywhere. He was about to speak, to gasp, but remembered where he was, and instead just looked up, holding his breath as best as he could.

Vanitas's helmet shone down back at him, blocking him from seeing the others face. The boot on his chest slid up slightly, teasingly drifting across his neck.

He was hoisted up by the fabric of his shirt, still struggling to hold the air in his lungs.

"Hello Ven..."

He let out a gasp without meaning to as he was flung across the platform, smacking into the stone floor, a glider grazing across his shoulder, cutting through the shirt fabric there.

Vani teleported over to where he lay in the middle of the platform, snatching him up before he was sliced to bits, and reappeared in front of the door.

Ven lay in his arms, passed out from shock and lack of air, limp and seemingly lifeless.

The helmeted boy nudged against the button to open the door, carrying Ventus into the room, and letting it swoosh shut behind him. He dissolved his helmet, looking down at the blonde, smirking.

_Perfect..._

Ven shot up, chest heaving as he got used to breathing again, and looked around, ready to summon his keyblade.

His hand stilled, hovering in front of himself, as he looked over to his left, his mouth opening silently, eyes locked on what lay next to him.

He had never seen something so evil look so peaceful before.

Vanitas was curled up on his side, head resting on an arm, sound asleep.

Asleep and utterly defenseless.

And Ven couldn't do anything about it.

He got to his feet slowly, silently, and walked towards the exit of the room, not looking back.

As he was about to smash the button for his armor finally, his arm stung fiercely. He glanced down at it, and nearly fell over. There was a deep **V** gauged into his skin, almost at the part where his arm met the top of his hand, and it had small droplets of blood leaking from it, staining his skin red.

Ven fumbled for the potion he had drank earlier, taking another small sip of it.

_it's going fast..._

The wound closed up enough for it to stop bleeding, leaving a scar behind, another painful reminder left by the black-haired boy.

_This has to stop..._

_

* * *

_Starting to work on chapter 8 fairly soon, hopefully tonight, so I'll try and have it out sooner than this one.

Please review, it really keeps me going.  
I don't feel like writing if I don't feel people are reading it.

Thank you to the wonderful people that have reviewed/added me/this story to their watch list, you're amaaaazing X3


	8. Radiant Garden

YES, CHAPTER 8 IS FINALLY OUT. I HAVEN'T ABANDONED THIS FIC XD  
Sorry to all of my readers, I really really REALLY didn't intend to take so long on this.  
There are a few added pairings in this chapter, but it's better that they remain a surprise until you get to that portion, so I will not be writing them up here.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER DOES GET A BIT DARKER THAN THE OTHERS.**

* * *

Thankfully the streets in Radiant Garden's main plaza were a bit quieter than the previous worlds, if only for the lack of black-haired psychopaths.

There was a soft bustle of talk from the surrounding townspeople as Ven walked among them, looking around for a medicine shop. A soft smile crossed his face as he heard a familiar, slightly obnoxious sounding voice echo over from the next street over.

As he got closer he caught a glimpse of flaming red hair and ran faster.

"Lea!"

The other teen turned around, a huge grin on his face.

"Ven! Hey! Isa, get over here, Ven's back!"

The blue haired boy walked over slowly, staring with his usual slightly annoyed look at his best friend's enthusiasm. He looked over at Ven and raised a hand in welcome, not saying anything.

Lea pouted over at him at the lack of speech.

"Guuuh, Isaaaa, stop being so quiiiieeet."

"I'm only quiet because you annoy me..."

The redhead stuck his tongue out.

"Spoilsport."

Turning back to Ven, he grinned.

"Soooo, whatcha doin back here? Haven't seen you in a long time."

Ven stood there in silence for a few moments, debating how much to tell them.

"There's a crazy psychokiller out for my blood and my body and I'm hiding from him here."

They just stared at him for a while, and then looked at each other, Lea grinning, Isa with the same stock expression on his face.

Lea walked over and slung an arm around his shoulder, and began walking with him, gesturing for Isa to follow them.

"Y'didn't have to think up THAT crazy of a story, Ven, coulda just told us you wanted to see us."

As they walked off, Ven smiling softly, and Lea telling him all sort of outlandish stories about his and Isa's 'adventures' while he had been gone, Isa trailed behind, an off look on his face, eyebrows slanted almost unnoticably downwards, and he looked down at the ground, trying to avoid eye contact with the two that barely seemed to notice his presence.

A small, blue-haired boy sat on one of the ledges near the center of town, quietly licking at the ice cream he carried in his hand, kicking his feet back and forth, staring off into the distance, not really looking at anything in particular.

A taller man, rail thin and pale blonde, wearing a matching labcoat, stopped by to talk to him for a few minutes, getting small nods or shakes in return, as the boy appeared unable to speak.

He walked away again after a short while, glancing around just to make sure the area was safe, and soon headed out of sight.

There was a whooshing noise from behind the walls of one of the side streets, and red and black blended boots stepped softly towards the small boy from behind, and hands were thrown out, one arm around the boy's waist, clutching him close the the fabric of the bodysuit, and the other over his mouth, nearly covering his nose.

Vanitas walked away with the squirming boy, arms tight around him in order to prevent him from escaping.

When they had gotten a few blocks away, Vanitas slammed Ienzo into the wall, hurting him just enough to ensure that he would move as little as possible until he was done with him.

He looked up with eyes that were far too wise for his young age, the blue boring into Vanitas's gold ones, unnerving him. And in that single moment, Vanitas decided he hated blue eyes. In a rare act of kindness, he decided to spare the eye the boy could see out of better, but crushed him farther into the wall, scraping him across the stones.

"Can you talk, little boy?"

Ienzo just stared at him with that same knowing look, though his back was pressing painfully into the bricks of the wall. And then he slowly shook his head.

Vanitas reached forward, sliding his hands into the bangs that fell lazily over Ienzo's less exposed eye, gripping his hair and yanking it upwards, staring at the blueblueblue that shone back at him.

"Why do you hide your eye like that, there's nothing wrong with it."

And still there was silence from the other, which pushed Vanitas further and further towards his limit.

"I asked you a QUESTION, you pathetic little child!"

His harsh tone made Ienzo flinch, unwillingly, trying to shut his eyes, trying to get away the only way he could, the only way he knew how, by pretending the monsters didn't exist. The monsters under his bed weren't real. The monsters that took his mommy and daddy away were just figments of his imagination. The monster that stood in front of him, gripping his hair hard enough to nearly rip it out of his scalp, simply did not...could not...exist.

Vanitas slid his other hand across Ienzo's small face, fingertips brushing against his closed eyes, stopping on the usually concealed one, and tugging it open between two fingers, holding it like that.

"Tell me, little one..." he said softly, pleasantly. "Do you like nightmares?"

And the look of pure /terror/ that shot through that stunning blue was the only answer he needed.

He made sure that the wisps of hair were swept to the side, out of the way, and grinned viciously, taking his hand away from Ienzo's scalp, and, summoning a whorl of darkness around his finger, pressed it hard against his pupil, making sure the darkness seeped in, holding Ienzo against the wall firmly until it had completely dissolved into his eye.

If there had ever been a time Ienzo wished he could still talk, it would have been now, as he slid down the wall, screaming silently, entire body shuddering from the intense pain that shot through every nerve in his body, tears streaming down from his eyes. His hair fell back over the eye that Vanitas had touched, and as Ienzo opened both his eyes wide, the demons starting to eat into his mind, the blueblueblue that had once been there, glowed a horrific, shining black, only flecks of the deepest blue remaining.

Vanitas smirked, watching his prey writhe on the ground, and walked away down a side street, leaving him there to be mentally torn apart.

Isa leaned against the wall of one of the buildings in the shopping district, watching as his supposed best friend lay on the ground, chatting up a storm with Ventus.  
He guessed he should be happy for Lea, happy that he had finally found someone that will answer back to his ramblings once in a while.

The redhead seemed a little overwhelming to Ven at the beginning, but once they'd gotten a steady stream of conversation going, they talked as though they were lifelong friends.

Ven's face had saddened slightly, and he looked to be mumbling something to Lea, who reached over to pat him on the shoulder, comforting him.

Isa let that pass, looking around at the surrounding buildings and shopkeepers, before glancing back to where the two of them lay.

A sharp pain shot through his heart, and he looked away quickly, tears of raw anger itching at the corners of his eyes.

Lea had let his arm trail down farther, and was now holding Ven's hand tightly in his own, without a single word of protest from the blonde.

"And I haven't been able to find them since..."  
He finished, an ache building up in his throat.

Warm, strong fingers slid into his, and Ven looked down, seeing Lea's hand intertwined with his own.

"Don't worry, I'll be here for you."

"I couldn't get you involved..."

"Nonsense...you need me, I can feel it..."

And he pulled Ven close, pressing a light kiss to the top of his head, making the other boy flush softly.

Footsteps approached Isa, and he looked up, the bitterness all too apparent on his face.  
There was something that felt...strangely trustworthy about the other person, even though they had yet to even say a single word to each other.

Little did he know, Vanitas was spreading waves of darkness, invisibly, all around them, pulling Isa in, making him feel safe and secure.

"It sucks, doesn't it."

Isa looked at him, questioningly.

"Wanting something you can't have."  
He glared at the other, and looked away, towards the ground.

"What would you know about not having something..."

Vanitas reached over, tilting Isa's head up, and making him look to the side, towards Lea.

"You see the blonde over there? Ventus?"

Isa nodded slowly, not daring to take his eyes off of them in case something else happened.

"Well...I want him. And I'd be willing to do anything to make him mine. I'd rip apart anyone who stood in my way, and I'd force him to the ground and take him again and again and again until he's unable to think of anything except my name, and then I'd lock him away and keep him all to myself...for eternity. I know all about what it's like not have something I want."

The bluehaired boy watched him carefully now, warily.

"And you know what?"

A raised eyebrow was the answer he got in return.

"I can help you get what you want, as long as you help me get what I want as well."

And from that street, unnoticed by Lea and Ven, a flare of darkness spread out, enveloping Isa entirely, swallowing his scream.

When the screen faded, Vanitas was gone, having vanished partway through the process, and Isa was left gasping on the ground, eyes glowing gold, a warped x-shaped wound cut into his face, not bleeding only because the darkness that rippled across his skin prevented any blood from flowing.

Ven sat up slowly, wanting to leave to keep his friends safe, but at the same time...he didn't want to go...

It was rather...nice here...

Next to him Lea sat up as well, and then stood, reaching his hands out to help Ven to his feet.

"Lea...I...I have to go...I need to find my friends..."

The redhead stared at him sadly, hands still holding his.

"Do you really have to?"

'no...no...I don't want to...I don't want to leave you behind...I want...'

"Yes..."

He was stopped from saying anything else, because Lea tugged him forward, crushing their lips together, staying like that for only a few moments, before pulling back hurriedly.

"I...crap...Ven...I'm sorry...I...I gotta go..."

And he ran off, leaving Ven standing alone, face scarlet, mind spinning.

Isa grabbed Lea by the wrist as he ran past him, dragging him off across town, his sharpened nails leaving small gashes in the other's skin from how hard he was holding on.

"Isa? Dude, this really isn't a good time, I messed up big time back there and I need t-"

The blue-haired teen whipped around, eyes wild and teeth slowly pointing themselves into fangs, shoving Lea forward until he smacked his head against a doorway, and pressed himself up against him, claws digging into his hips, marking him further.

"Isa, let go, this isn't funny!"

"Shut up. Just SHUT UP, LEA. FOR ONCE WILL YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH."

He leaned forward, sinking his teeth into the tender skin of Lea's neck, drawing blood, and lapping it up greedily, hungrily, like the animal he was slowly becoming.

Ven stopped suddenly, a loud shout of pain echoing through the air, distracting him from planning what to do next.

'Lea...?'

But that was all he had time to process before he caught sight of the black spikes that haunted him through all the worlds he'd traveled to so far.

"Run, Ven."

He started backing up, intending to do just that.

"RUN. Or I'll CATCH you."

And with that, Ven ran faster than he ever had before in his life, lungs /burning/ from lack of air, but still he ran, pushing and pushing himself, finally launching himself up into the air on his keyblade glider, rocketing off to the next world, hurt and fear and confusion all raging in his head, making it pound, tears streaming unwillingly down his face.

* * *

And done!  
I will hopefully not take AS much time to finish chapter 9. That one, thankfully, has already been started, I just need to adjust a few things, and then continue writing.

Review, please?


	9. Destiny Islands

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T STRANGLE ME FOR NOT UPDATING THIS.  
I HAD A LOT TO DO LATELY AND COULD ONLY REALLY WORK ON SMALL FICS.  
(I start college in April! 8D)

But here it is, longer than it was going to be to make up for the absence on it. I'm really sorry! 

* * *

The keyblade scooter reverted back to it's portable form as Ventus teleported onto the island set from the world gap and began to run across the sand as soon as he'd gotten his balance, attempting to find the inhabitants befo-  
_fsshh_  
He froze, eyes wide, and looked back slowly, letting out a small scream as Vanitas appeared behind him.  
The black-haired boy's upper lip crinkled in a sneer, eyebrows narrowing.  
A sharp pain jolted through Ven's lower back, and he fell to the ground, Vanitas retracting his foot from when he had kicked him forward.  
Ven dragged an arm across the sand, holding it to his mouth, checking if it was bleeding from when his face had struck the ground, causing him to bite into his lip. Luckily the cut was relatively small, and by dabbing at it with his tongue, aside from tasting the sand that had landed there, he was able to clean it up.  
"Awww, did you hurt yourself?"  
The blond propped himself up on his elbows, looking back over his shoulder at his enemy, glaring daggers.  
"Whatever the hell you're doing,I will sto-"  
"No."  
"Wha-"  
"No, you won't. I can't be stopped, idiot. These worlds are as good as mine. As are you."  
"I'm not! I'm not and NEVER will be yours, Vanitas!"  
He was shoved roughly forward, salt water flooding across his face as he was plunged headfirst into the water at the island's edge.  
A sharp pain spread through his scalp as his hair was forcefully pulled, wrenching him up out of the water to give him just enough time to take a hurried breath before he was shoved back under again.  
Light, quick footsteps were heard crunching across the sand, and Vanitas looked over, seeing two small boys running towards them.  
He chuckled, pulling Ven up again, smirking at the way the blonde choked and coughed, trying to get air back into his waterlogged system. The kids were shouting, and Ven vaguely understood that they were trying to help him, but he was so...so...dizzy...  
Vanitas stood, deciding that Ven wasn't worth bothering with just then, and let out a little laugh as the little silver-haired boy comes running at him with a stupid little wooden sword, yelling some sort of battle cry.  
With a flick of his wrist, Vanitas sent a wave of darkness crashing into the child, much like he'd done with the others in the previous world. This one couldn't be much younger than the tiny mute one he'd infected. He lay prone on the ground for a few moments, before crawling to his feet, looking disheveled. There was a momentary flash of something ominous looking in his eyes, and he turned on his heel and stomped towards his friend, grabbing onto his wrist with a force unfitting to his age, causing the brunette to drop his sword out of surprise as he was roughly dragged backwards, stumbling on the sand.  
Vanitas watched as they climbed the ladder up to what seemed to be the highest accessible part on the island, the smaller one crying out for the other, apparently named Riku, to stop, to let him go.  
A soft noise echoed up from near his feet, and Vanitas looked down to see Ventus trying to prop himself up on his elbows.  
The black-haired teen glared, annoyed that he was missing the show his new toys were putting on for him, and he dug the heel of his boot right into the gap between Ven's shoulderblades, winding him, and shoving him back down into the water.  
He let out a harsh, loud laugh, watching Ven struggle to get back up, pounding futily on the sand, trying to push the other off of him. After nearly a minute, he yanked Ven up again, taking a few blonde strands away from where he had been tugging. Ven slumped over onto his side, coughing and shaking, looking as though he was about to throw up. Vanitas ran a hand almost tenderly across the other's ashen face, grinning widely at the way his pet was suffering for him.  
Above them, near the treeline, they could hear loud screaming, and both looked over to see Riku standing behind Sora, hands at the brunette's back, both of them far too close to the edge. Finally managing to get air back into his abused lungs, Ven shoved at Vanitas, teeth gritted in anger.

"Stop it! They're just _children_, you sick bastard! _**CHILDREN!**_"

Flicking his hand lazily, Vanitas made Riku pull Sora back a tiny bit, halting his previous motion of walking forward.

"Why should I? That little boy back in Radiant Garden was just a child too, but that didn't stop me..."

Ven tried to sit up, coughing a bit more, a look of utter horror on his face.

"Ienzo!"

A cruel smirk passed across Vanitas's face, and he nodded.

"What did you...why...why are you doing this!"  
"It's fun to see you hurt...It's fun to watch you cry and scream and submit to me...you scare so easily, you're _far_ too sympathetic for your own good...you barely know these people..."

"Vanitas...just...please stop...don't hurt them...They don't have anything to do with your plans, so leave them alone..."

The black haired boy leaned in, biting at Ven's earlobe, whispering softly.

"Are you really sure you don't want to save this begging for a more important person's life?"

Ven tried to turn and stare at him, without much success.

"Who."

"I'm not saying...that would ruin the surpri~se"

Ven shuddered at the sing-songy way the other dragged out the last word, and then gasped as he felt Vanitas's mouth on his neck, sharper then normal teeth sinking into his flesh, almost-gentle at first, before diving in farther, causing his skin to leak small droplets of blood, and he bit his lip, desparetly holding in the scream that tried to escape, knowing that's exactly what Vanitas wanted to hear.

The black-haired teen drew back a bit, still a bit unsatisfied, and waved a hand in the direction of the two small boys.

Riku fell to his knees next to Sora, who sunk down as well, and reached over to shake his shoulders, scared tears still rolling down his cheeks, trying to figure out if his best friend was okay or not.

"There. He's free. But you really should have saved that for later. You never know who else you'll need to protect..."

Vanitas stood, using Ven's shoulder to push himself up, and walked off in the direction he had come from, leaving him in the sand. As soon as he was halfway up the beach, Ven tried to stand, shoving himself to his feet and running for a few seconds before collapsing flat on his face, crying out in pain.

He didn't see the smirk that crossed Vanitas's face at the sound, didn't see how he'd finally given him what he'd been wanting during their short, twisted variation of playtime.

Ven pushed himself up on his elbows, then to his knees, swaying slightly, nearly falling over again.

There was a soft noise of impact off in the distance, and he glanced over to see Sora running full-force towards him, before the small boy collided with his chest, arms grabbing at fabric, his tiny frame shaking as he cried. He reached foward, holding Sora close, trying to calm both the child and himself, looking over to see that Riku had walked over, but was standing back, not sure if he should get closer.

Only when Ven wasn't looking at him, Riku stared from his hands to Sora shaking in the other's arms, jumping a little when whisps of purpleblack...something...escaped his fingers.

If one looked closely, they could see the exact moment where the light left Riku's eyes, as they were overshadowed by doubt and fear.

He'd heard tales of monsters and things that wanted to spirit you away in the middle of the night and eat your bones...the older kids on their home island had big imaginations...but what if he was turning into one of them. He couldn't let that happen. He had to protect Sora.

Riku clenched his small fists, stomping over to where the two sat, Ven worried, Sora trying to stop crying. He held out a hand to Sora, determinedly glaring at him to take it, pulling him out of Ven's arms when he did.

Backing away slightly with Sora, he stared Ven down until the blonde got to his feet as well. He looked at them with the most apologetic look he could muster, but Riku just glared back at him, angry for making him nearly hurt Sora.

Ven shakily walked away from them down the beach, in the opposite direction that Vanitas had gone in, able to sense that he was completely unwelcome at that moment.

When he glanced back at them one final time, he saw that Riku was holding Sora tightly, awkwardly pressing his face into his cheek in what was probably his attempt at a comforting kiss.

Keyblade and armor transforming again, he flew off into the sky beyond the island, fleeing as fast as he could to the next world, not wanting to think about how weak Vanitas made him think.

And then he thought back to the two boys.

That wasn't normal behavior for a five year old, being _that_ weirdly possessive...

Did Vani...

Being distracted caused him to nearly fly into a floating platform on the way to the next world, and he shook his head, trying to clear it.

_Later._

_I can think about this later._

* * *

__Aaaand that's the chapter done!  
Will have more on the way hopefully...soonish...  
These ones are thankfully much more on the complete side than this one was.

Thank you so much all of you for sticking with me through this fic ;w;  
And thanks to my KH tinies family on Skype for giving me the inspiration to continue working on this!


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